We Had a Good Run
by jaspersgrl1287
Summary: What happens after Lee choose to drop Ben when running from the walkers? Does Ben really die there? Rated M for Kenny's mouth


Kenny-

_Fuck! How did this even happen! Are the others okay?! God dammit why—oh fuck! _Kenny's thoughts were all over the place as he ran through the zombie infested streets of Savannah. Somehow, he had gotten separated from the rest of the group, or what was left of it. Only Lee, Chrita, Omid, and of course, Clementine were left besides himself.

He kept running, trying to find a safe place to rest. His breath came out in harsh gasps as he ran from yet another herd of walkers. He had no idea how much longer he could run like this. He wasn't exactly young enough, no matter how fit he actually was.

_Fuck! What now? Come on, please, please, not now, just not now! _His panicked thoughts were interrupted as he saw the door. He yanked down the handle, ignoring the dried blood, pleading for it to be open. _Hell yes! _The door clicked open and he quickly opened it and slammed it behind him. He flipped the latch above the handle to lock it as he slid down to the floor, trying to slow his labored breathing.

As he felt his own breathing slow and relax, he was surprised to find that he could still hear the harsh breath of someone above the soft banging as walkers tried to get in. Standing shakily, he surveyed his new surroundings for the first time. It seemed like it was a small restaurant, like a café or something. It wasn't very big, but has a spiraling staircase that had to lead somewhere. He glanced around the dim room, trying to find the source of the new sound. He was fed up with walkers and couldn't wait to smash another's head in now that he had sort of recovered from all the running.

Squinting closely, he could just make out the form of a body in the corner of the store, surrounded by a pool of blood. He held his gun readily, in case he had to use it, and slowly approached the body.

Ben3-

As Lee, loosened his grip on Ben's hand, he couldn't hold back the panicked screech that sounded from his mouth as he felt the wind whip around him. It was exactly like those dreams you have where you feel like you're falling forever, except he didn't fall for long. He hit the ground with a loud thud and screamed in pain as he felt the snap of the bones in his body snap.

_Oh god no, no, please let me die! I thought the fall would kill me, oh god, no, please, not like this! _Walkers had clambered over to hisvulnerable form as he tried to slow his panicking and think above the pain of everything. He was sure that his left leg was broken; it was the one he landed on_. Why? Oh god, oww, please!_ His yelped as he felt the first walker reach him, and cried out as it bit him on the leg.

He tried to squirm away, but others had arrived and began to bite and tear at his skin, leaving bloody marks and drawing blood. A few had reached his neck and bit into the flesh, causing the boy to scream and suffer more than he could have imagined possible. He was beginning to feel light-headed from all the blood loss and pain; he could barely try to protect himself. With the last bit of strength he had left, he kicked off the few walkers that had started to get to him, and dragged himself as fast as he could to the nearest beam and tried to pull himself up with his good leg.

After failing twice, he somehow managed to reach the nearest door and hauled himself out into the street. He made his way through the streets in complete agony, falling and feeling as though he wouldn't be able to get back up, but he did. He collapsed for the last time in an alley close to the overrun building that he had just escaped, finding that his leg couldn't hold him up anymore, and could barely breathe due to the pain he was in. Plus, the broken ribs moved as if on their own accord and increased his pain as if someone was continually stabbing his in the chest with a dull blade.

Ben panicked feeling trapped as he found that the alley was just a dead end and started to hyperventilate as walkers began to close in on him. Just as he was about to give in to his fate, he caught a glimpse of what was close to a miracle these days. A small door was just a little farther down the alley to him left. He managed to wearily stand with only a few pain-filled cries and limped quickly over to the door. Luckily, it was open and he jammed the latch down and threw it open. He slammed it shut behind him, but didn't have the energy to lock it and dragged himself into the corner of the store and waited to die, like an injured animal. The sudden rush to survive had left him feeling weaker than he thought possible. It was like the venom in the walker's many bites was swimming through his blood. He could feel it inside him, changing him slowly into the monster that he feared since the first day the dead started to walk. It hit him that the only way to prevent the change was to damage his brain. He tried to find something to kill himself with, anything, but found that he could barely breathe, let alone move around in the least.

Giving in, he laid there for what seemed like forever musing as to whether the bites would change him before the blood loss could kill him. He knew that no matter how he died, that if it wasn't brain damage, he'd become one of those…things. As the last tiny shred of hope left his body, he knew he probably deserved this. He ruined so many lives that this end, full of agony and despair, was what he really deserved.

Kenny-

As he got closer, he could recognize an almost familiar jacket, though it was soaked in blood, he could still see the original blue and white it was supposed to be. He dismissed the thought as he crept even closer, not letting himself believe that this could be the same boy as his mind had led himself to hope. But, as he knelt to get a closer look, his eyes widened in complete shock.

Behind the blood was the same face that he had loathed more than anything else about two day ago. Kenny couldn't believe that Ben had even survived, and felt as though the guilt would kill him as he looked at the state the boy was in. He'd thought that Ben would die from the fall, and at the time, wanted Ben to feel the most pain imaginable, but now he wished he could take the pain away. Blood covered almost every inch of the teen. His left leg was twisted at a sickening angle, the broken bone poking through the material of Ben's pants, looking almost unreal.

"Ben?" His voice was a broken whisper, not wanting Ben to have to be alive through this but wanting him to still be okay. He felt a tear slide down his cheek as the eyelids of the broken boy beneath him fluttered and the once peaceful looking face shifted into one of pure agony.

"Oh, god, Ben, how? What happened?" He couldn't help brushing the soft sandy locks of hair away from Ben' face as those icy blue eyes gazed up at him with disbelief, so full of pain.

"K-Ken?" Was all the dying boy could manage, and even that one word was broken and scratchy as he tried to speak.

Ben3-

He had to blink a few times, as if the person that was holding him would disappear at any second.

"It's me Ben, it's okay, you're gonna be okay. I'm here, its okay." Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing after all that he had done. Kenny couldn't possibly mean that, he had wanted Lee to drop him, Ben wasn't stupid. He had seen Kenny the second before Lee had dropped him, the look he had given Lee. He wanted Ben to die, and he was right. Ben deserved to die.

"I-I I'm s-sorry, I fucked up so m-much, I I-I'm sorry I messed u-up you're w-whole famil-ly..." Ben managed to get out between gasps as he tried to breathe through the pain.

Kenny-

_Oh great, fucking wonderful. He still thinks I hate him, and why wouldn't he, I just, I can't believe I did this to him. God, he's just a kid!_

"No, Ben no, please don't say that, please, I was horrible to you. You hear that? I was horrible, and I I'm sorry Ben, just don't think like that. You're gonna be okay." It was like he was trying to comfort his own son, something he had not been able to do. Kenny couldn't believe Ben. He'd hurt him so much that he wasn't sure if he could ever get over it. Ben had lost his whole family too, and he was wrong to expect so much from him. God, he was still a kid.

Kenny watched as Ben shook his head slowly after trying unsuccessfully to speak. _What could he mean, I mean, yeah he's pretty bad, but Kenny'd do everything to help him, he'd get better and they'd find the others._

"What do ya mean, of course you're gon-" Kenny stopped talking as Ben shook his head again. Kenny watched in horror as Ben tugged his jacket and shirt up lightly to reveal the gruesome skin below. Ben's stomach was covered in tiny, red crescents that were scattered across his entire abdomen. His face a mix of pain and complete hopelessness. He had already given up and Kenny could see it. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was stupid of him to think the Ben was just hurt, Lee'd dropped him into a pit of walkers, and he wouldn't have gotten out unharmed.

"I-I I'm Ben, oh god, I'm so sorry, please, I just... No! " Kenny cried out as he held Ben. He didn't really want Ben to die, he was just so damn angry.

Ben3-

Ben's eyes followed Ken as he cried, filled with his own tears. He didn't ever think anyone would find him, let alone Kenny. He just couldn't let himself believe that Kenny cared. He tried to slow his breathing and control the sobs as they tore through his chest, making it harder for him to get enough oxygen to keep from blacking out.

Kenny-

Ben shook as his breath shuddered and he started coughing violently as a sob stuck in his throat. Kenny stroked the side of his face comfortingly, not knowing what to say and chocking on his words. He felt tear sliding down his face as he wiped away the blood from Ben's mouth. The boy looked so small, so helpless, he couldn't help but try to comfort him, but felt himself start to panic as Ben's breathing slowed and his eyes fluttered closed.

"Ben! No, Ben, come on wake up, you gotta stay with me, please; I never meant anything I said before. Please, just please, no, I can't lose anyone else." Kenny's voice trailed into a whisper as he watched Ben struggle to breathe. "I can't take it."

Ben's chest heaved with each breath, but he managed to get out one last sentence as his vision filled itself with black spots.

"I'm just ..sorry I even… existed to ruin ….everyone's lives…"

Kenny stared in disbelief as Ben' chest shuddered and fell for the last time.

"No! Please Ben, no, you didn't ruin my life just please, no, no, god, please no, Ben" Kenny pleaded as he watched the life drain from Ben's eyes and shook him as if that would help in the slightest. Kenny collapsed on Ben's chest filled with grief, how could he have done this to a kid, a kid?! He sobbed uncontrollably, realizing how much he lost and how much he hurt everyone else. Everything was just hitting him at full force. Realizing that he didn't have anything left, how the world was so broken and destroyed.

Above his broken sobbing he could hear the moan of the undead outside the door. The pounding as they tried to reach the man and the corpse inside. Everything he had blocked before was hitting him and he curled in on himself as if to shield himself from the thoughts. The way Lee had tried to tell him that he basically was causing Ben to become suicidal, how he was too harsh to Clem who was a lost as anyone else, how he wouldn't listen to Kat when their own son was suffering.

He looked up from his tear-covered hands as Ben's body moved slightly, a slight moan sounding from Ben's lips.

"Ben?" Ken asked tentatively. He reached out shakily to feel for a pulse and found none, but couldn't help hoping that Ben could be okay.

He watched in horror as Ben's eyes opened; the icy blue eyes now glazed and emotionless. Tears fell continuously as Ken put his hand around Ben's throat, knowing what would happen if he didn't. He had seen others change and knew that no matter how weak they were when they died, they were as strong as any other walker when they came back. Ben's skin was a sickly pale color and his body was cold. His corpse finally sensing the human in the room, Ben started reaching for Ken, tugging on his arm that held him head to the ground with more force than expected and snapping his jaws uselessly.

The sight was one Ken could never forget and he realized that he would eventually have to end this. He wouldn't let Ben suffer and so he reached for his gun. Shakily, he put it to Ben's head and placed his finger on the trigger.

"I'm so sorry, Ben, I'm sorry" He pulled the trigger, staring as the Ben's body slumped to the floor for the last time.

Ken just couldn't take it, the despair was eating a hole in his chest, and he knew this was his entire fault. If it hadn't been for him, Ben would be alive right now, he could be happy, but he had cut him down so much that Ben had thought he was worthless.

He knew his chance of finding the group again was slim and they probably wouldn't have even waited for him. He was horrible to them all, too. As he brought the gun to his head, he thought about how everything could just be over. No more suffering, no more pain, no more anything. He could finally see Kat again, and Duck, oh Duck. He looked down at the silent body beneath him, hoping that somehow he might be able to tell Ben how wrong he had been. "Don't worry kid, ya did good. We all did. We had a good run, kid." And as Kenny pulled the trigger, he knew that he would be okay with this, no more regrets, no more nothing.


End file.
